Research framework: The main characteristic of most societies in Burkina Faso is patriarchy. In this social system, men dominate women. Belief systems and social representations have long conveyed an image of women as exclusively housewives. Accordingly, the political arena is perceived as a place for men. As a result, women who take an interest in politics are labelled, harassed or discouraged by their families. Despite Law No. 003-2020/AN, which sets a quota to encourage women to stand in legislative and municipal elections, women are still poorly positioned and represented in these elections. However, some women manage to find their place in the political arena, if not to establish themselves, in defiance of the social order. Based on a socio-historical and anthropological approach to women’s participation in politics, Bourdieu’s theory of fields and capitals is mobilized to grasp women’s political dynamics in Burkina Faso.

Objectives: The main objective of this research is to analyze the resilience of women, who are under the double weight of their social status in the family and male dominance in the political arena.

Methodology: This article uses a qualitative method based on the life stories of influential women in politics in Burkina Faso. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a control group consisting of a few members of these women’s families, as well as members of their neighbourhood.

Results: In the context of a generally unfavourable family, social and economic environment, some women have demonstrated a great capacity for resilience, enabling them to reconcile their political and social responsibilities in the best possible way.

Conclusions: This paper has highlighted an interesting aspect of women’s political reality in Burkina Faso, who “refuse the political dictates of men” that can lead to political self-censorship. Most women who have managed to secure a place for themselves have had to contend with the challenge of reconciling political life with their status as housewives, the associated social expectations and male domination, particularly in the political arena. In the process of Burkinabe women’s political self-fulfillment, the family appeared as a “bipolarized” reality: sometimes as a constraint, other times as a driving force behind these women’s political emergence, under the influence of family socialization.

Contribution: This article contributes to the understanding of the difficult equitable participation of women in politics, despite the legislative framework put in place in Burkina Faso. This study invites further reflection on how to improve the representation of Burkinabe women in the political arena, as well as their efficient participation in the decision-making and development process of their country.

• political field
• political arena
• resilience
• family interdependence
• family life

https://journals.openedition.org/efg/21185